2008 Saab 9-3

midsize luxury car / 4-door sedan

2008 Saab 9-3 4-door sedan
2007 Saab 9-3 4-door sedan shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Roof strength
Head restraints & seats

Other available safety features

  • Standard daytime running lights

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2003-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2003 Saab 9-3 Linear 4-door

The Saab 9-3 was redesigned for the 2003 model year.

The frontal offset crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the 9-3, known as the SportCombi, beginning with its introduction in the 2006 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics

Action shot taken during the frontal offset crash test.

The dummy's position in relation to the steering wheel and instrument panel after the crash test indicates that the driver's survival space was maintained well.

Dummy movement was well controlled. During rebound, the dummy's head hit only the deployed side curtain airbag, its fabric cover, and the head restraint.<strong> </strong>.

There was little change in the position of the dummy's feet following the crash test. Injury risk was low.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CEF0306
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 8
Center (cm) 14
Right (cm) 13
Brake pedal (cm) 8
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 3
Right (cm) 1
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) -1
Rearward (cm) -5
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 2

Driver injury measures

Test ID CEF0306
Head
HIC-15 164
Peak gs at hard contact no contact
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.1
Extension bending moment (Nm) 8
Maximum Nij 0.20
Chest maximum compression (mm) 37
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 2.0
Femur force - right (kN) 5.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 2
Knee displacement - right (mm) 0
Maximum tibia index - left 0.29
Maximum tibia index - right 0.38
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 1.3
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 1.6
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 62
Right 65

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2004-11 models built after December 2003

Tested vehicle: 2004 Saab 9-3 Linear 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Saab 9-3 was redesigned for the 2003 model year. Modifications were made to the side torso airbags for 2004 and later models built after December 2003 to improve occupant protection in side-impact crashes.

The side impact crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the 9-3, known as the SportCombi, beginning with its introduction in the 2006 model year.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Action shot taken during the side impact crash test showing the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy's head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0412
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -11.0
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0412
Head HIC-15 205
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 41
Lateral force (kN) 1.7
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 45
Average deflection (mm) 33
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 5.16
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.95
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.9
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.9
Combined force (kN) 4.5
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.0
L-M moment (Nm) 91
A-P moment (Nm) 27

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0412
Head HIC-15 204
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.1
Compression (kN) 0.4
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 40
Lateral force (kN) 1.8
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 36
Average deflection (mm) 29
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 3.22
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.35
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 0.1
Acetabulum force (kN) 1.4
Combined force (kN) 1.4
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 1.7
L-M moment (Nm) 180
A-P moment (Nm) 18

How the side crash test is conducted

Roof strength

Rating applies to 2003-11 models

Tested vehicle: 2011 Saab 9-3 Sport Sedan 4-door

Overall evaluation
Curb weight 3,344 lbs
Peak force 11,482 lbs
Strength-to-weight ratio 3.43

How the roof strength test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: All seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type All seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 30
Distance below top of head (mm) 60
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Pass
Max T1 acceleration (g) 16.2
Head contact time (ms) 64
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 11
Max neck tension (N) 287

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.